California Independent Funny Car Association (CIFCA) has return to the race track after a several year hiatus. CIFCA Funny Cars were part of the IHRA NitroJam at the Good Vibrations Motorsports Southwestern Nationals on Feb 6-7, 2015. Qualifying was intense with Lyle Byrum running a 7.499 & Ray Stringer running a 7.490! Just a tad too quick for the 7.50 index. In round two of qualifying CIFCA drivers competed in Mike’s Transmission’s Burnout Contest! Stringer and Byrum both did side by side half-track burnouts. The crowd claimed Byrum the winner. In the last qualifying session Andy Mears was almost perfect with a 7.501 taken home the Aeromotive Revolving Qualifier Award and The Blower Shop Best Package. Becky Sylvester stole the show in Q3, where she did a 6 foot high wheel stand! The car came down so hard that it broke the steering & slammed into the wall. Sylvester was taken to the hospital and return to the track later that night. She is okay, just a little sore and maybe stepping out of the driver’s seat for a year. Eliminations turned into more of a round robin. The closest to the index without going under would advance to the final. Stringer was the farthest from the index, but IHRA allowed us to run one more time before our final. Stringer took home the Cogswell Marine & Motorsports Lucky Dog Award after getting another chance to make the final. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to back up after his burnout in the semi-final. Kind of the Unlucky, Lucky, Unlucky Dog.

Mears & Byrum, both members of the Southwest Superchargers, are no strangers to the final round. After the burnouts, Byrum goes in deep at the very last second and is rewarded with a .016 light which would be good enough for the Good Vibrations Motorsports Quick Reaction Time award. Byrum needed that light as he defeated Mears with his hole shot aided 7.573 to Mear's 7.537. The marign of victory .004! Byrum also won the SCE Gaskets Bounty Hunter award, and the Total Seal "Seal the Deal" award on that run. Special thanks to CIFCA’s other sponsors ReplayXD, Fuel Injection Ent, & Stith Printing. 

Qualifying

1. Andy Mears 7.501
2. Ray Stringer 7.58
3. Lyle Byrum 7.59
4. Becky Sylvester 7.75

Lyle Byrum